"Monster": Rivals praise German Roubaix winner Koch

The Tour de France winner chose martial words to enthuse about the performance of the German Paris-Roubaix winner Franziska Koch. "She's a monster, she's very strong. I knew how strong she was recently. But I didn't know anything about her sprinting abilities. But now I know for the next time," said Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. The Frenchwoman finished third in the sixth edition of the women's race.

The German road cycling champion Koch sensationally won the one-day race with the finish in the Roubaix velodrome. "It's unbelievable. Yes, I've always dreamed of winning this race," she said, "It's a dream."

Sprint show at the Velodrome

The 25-year-old prevailed in a thrilling sprint against the former three-time world champion Marianne Vos. The Dutchwoman was also full of praise for her rival: "Perhaps she is not yet a big name to the general public," said the experienced 38-year-old. "I wasn't surprised. She is very, very strong," praised Vos.

For the woman from Mettmann, who also lives in Spain, the victory is the biggest success of her career to date. She herself was not too surprised by her abilities: "If you followed me last year, you could see that I was in good form. But it's nice to be able to surprise them," said Koch. "I'm not a pure sprinter, but I can still put in a good final sprint after a tough race."

Koch comes from a family of cycling enthusiasts. Her parents met at a cycling race. "I was nine years old when I rode my first bike race," said the youngest of four siblings.

She wants to win the German championships for the third time in a row this summer. Koch rides for the French team FDJ United - SUEZ. It is not yet clear whether she will start in the Tour de France for the fourth time. At least her chances have not diminished as a result of her success.

Women's race on the same day as the men's race

For a long time, the three riders at the front exchanged blows in the leading group. Just under four kilometres before the finish, Koch attacked her two team-mates, but was unable to shake them off in the long term. It all came down to a showdown in the velodrome, which Koch won.

For the first time, the women's race was held on the same day as the men's race. The women crossed the finish line around two hours after the men. The Belgian Wout van Aert had previously prevailed in a thrilling sprint duel against world champion Tadej Pogacar.

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